Ximun's Guilt

XIMUN

Four days passed, Ximun remained beside Aysu’s bed, his entire heart begging and praying for her to open her eyes and speak to him. He wouldn’t mind if she would be harsh with her words, he truly wished to have her voice imprinted in his mind once again.

So, with desperation, he held her hand while his forehead creased with worry.

“Ximun, you haven’t slept for many hours,” Andrew pointed out the moment he stepped into the room, his pity well extended towards the Alpha. “I wouldn’t recommend starving yourself of sleep. You already don’t get much of it on a good day.”

Without tearing his gaze off Aysu who was breathing with the help of an oxygen pump, he replied, “I don’t want to miss her waking up. I can’t do that.”

Andrew sighed and walked to the other side of the bed. He pulled a stool and checked a few vitals. When he was done, he faced Ximun and requested that the man face him. Reluctantly, the Ximun, with intense darkness in his eyes, faced his friend and Andrew said, “You are being too hard on yourself.”

“No. I could not protect her. I let some unknown fool poison her and our child.” His head lowered and guilt weighed his heart down. “I… This is all my fault. I should have never treated her that way. I shouldn’t have created a distance between us.”

“Ximun, even if you had glued Aysu to your side, something this vicious would still have happened. If we have to blame anyone, it would be the wicked mind of the person responsible for this.”

Ximun abruptly lifted his head. “Have they gotten the culprit? Has one of them confessed?”

“The people in custody are pleading innocent and the interrogators are yet to get new suspects.”

“Have they tortured them enough?” Ximun demanded with anger in his voice.

“Not everyone breaks under severe torture, Ximun.”

’That’s a lie.” Ximun held Aysu’s hand a little firmer. “Everyone has their breaking point and those two he-wolves don’t look like they would endure minutes of torture.”

“We need to approach this with a fresh mind. We need to look at places we didn’t think of at first for clues.”

“Andrew,” Ximun was gradually getting vexed with his friend, “her father might have sent that Gideon guy to get rid of her. There is that possibility, so we are definitely on the right track.”

“What are you thinking, Ximun? Are you forgetting that Mayana is still in this palace?” Andrew slapped him with that truth.

And the fury in Ximun was quickly quenched. He finally let go of Aysu’s hand and for the first time in a while, he failed to find a response for many seconds.

Andrew then continued, his forehead knitted with seriousness, “I agree that something might be up with the man her father sent, but think about it. Mayana has reasons to want to get rid of Aysu, especially now that the curse might have been lifted.”

“Uh…” All of a sudden, it became hard to breathe. So, Ximun got to his feet and took heavy exhales to ease the sudden ache that was hurled at his chest. “Uhm… Wait…”

“Ximun, my thoughts are not nonsense.”

He nodded with understanding. “I know, I know. It’s just,” he swallowed hard and scratched his hair, “if this is Mayana’s doing, I am extensively responsible.”

“Oh no.” Andrew got up, his voice significantly lowered. “You are not.”

“I am.” Ximun dragged his hair back. “I am.” The pain in his chest showed in his voice and it became harder for him to consider waiting for Aysu to wake up. “I allowed Mayana to stay back, Andrew.”

“You were just being considerate.”

“Oh screw that.” Ximun flung his hand carelessly. “It was very stupid of me.”

“Ximun, nothing is confirmed so you don’t have to be so hard on yourself and-”

A tiny groan interrupted the heated conversation and both men flung their heads in Aysu’s direction. Indeed, she was awake and her almost dead eyes stared right at the ceiling.

“Aysu.” Ximun threw his preceding worries away and rushed to be beside her. “Aysu,” he called again, his eyes searching hers with the hope that she wouldn’t turn him away.

Seconds passed before she looked at him. But the moment she did, she managed to remove the mask over her nose while Ximun cupped her face and eagerly nodded, saying, “Yes, that’s right. You are fine. You are fine, Aysu.”

Her eyes, to Ximun, were the darkest abyss he had ever seen and it scared him that Aysu could look so unalive. That fear made his eyes travel to her lips. He hoped that hearing her speak would cancel the look in her eyes.

So, when she opened her mouth to speak, he became very expectant.

But. for some reason, no words came out.

“Aysu?”

Still, no words were spoken and her eyes enlarged in a way that made Ximun extremely worried.

“Andrew, something is wrong,” he said. “Aysu is not speaking. Why is she not speaking?”

Andrew got to work without hesitation. While he checked certain things, he said, “Please step back, Ximun.”

“But she can’t speak,” Ximun replied, his eyes now teary with concern. “Why? Why can’t she speak?”

“Ximun, she will be fine. Just step back.”

That moment, Ximun grabbed Aysu’s hand again, his action strongly defying the Healer’s instruction. “How can I leave her?” he asked while he tried to silently assure Aysu that all would be well. “I can’t, Andrew.”

“Is anyone out there?” Andrew asked with a loud voice and two hefty men walked in. “Please take the Alpha King to another room. He needs to rest.”

Ximun jerked off the hold of the men who did as they were asked. His back straightened and asked Andrew, “What nonsense are you plotting?”

“I am trying to do my job. But you are in my way. If you keep tossing your emotions here and there in a way that stresses my patient, I will totally ban you from seeing her till she is discharged.”

That wasn’t fair. Ximun pouted and tried protesting.“But-”

Andrew was not willing to listen. He went back to checking on Aysu and said, “Take him out, please.”

This time, the men were able to lead Ximun out of the room and as they moved, Ximun made sure his gaze remained on Aysu till he couldn’t see her anymore